Car parking tower



Aug. 11, 1959 P. J. sco'r'r 2,899,085

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CAR PARKING TOWER Filed May 22, 1956 I s Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. /0

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United States Patent CAR PARKING TOWER Pete J. Scott, Jackson, Miss.

Application May 22, 1956, Serial No. 586,428

1 Claim. (Cl. 214-161) This invention relates to building construction, and more particularly to a novel car parking tower and is a continuation in part of my application Ser. No. 440,650, filed July 1, 1954, for Car Parking Tower, now Patent No. 2,787,387.

In the erection and operation of a car parking tower utilizing pairs of upper and lower sprocket wheels, considerable vibration and destructive impact forces resulted from the utilization of drive means directly connected to sector gears. Therefore, in order to insure against damage to gear members which are arranged to form ring gears attached to the lower pair of sprocket wheels, it is required that the gear members be made of an increased weight and that the gear members be machined to very close tolerance. However, it is the production and utilization of a car parking tower commercially, due to the fact that the ring gears will be exposed to inclement weather as well as to the normal vicissitudes of operating service, it was determined that the careful machining of the sector gear members and increasing the strength of the gear members was not the proper solution to the problem. Therefore, as a result of extensive experimentation, it was determined that the mounting of the gear members as well as the drive gears and drive motors in connection with the upper pair of the sprocket wheels resulted in the unexpected and highly desirable results of overcoming all the disadvantages of vibration and impact shocks heretofore resulting from the driving of the mechanism of the invention through the lower pair of sprocket gears. It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel drive system for a car parking tower which includes drive means in the form of gear members secured to an upper pair of sprocket wheels which are driven through drive gears driven by motors mounted at the upper portion of the frame of the car parking tower.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a car parking tower adapted to house a maximum number of automobiles or other similar vehicles therein with the building occupying a minimum amount of land. V

An additional object of the invention resides in the provision of a car parking tower which may be encased in a suitable building or which may be erected utilizing only a suitable framework which may optionally be in the form of an A-frame for reduction in weight.

An additional object of the invention resides in the provision of a car parking tower which employs a novel drive means for raising and lowering car carrying cages within which vehicles, are adapted tobe positioned in order that greater safety of operation can be achieved.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a car parking tower that is strong and durable, comparatively inexpensive to erect and utilize, and which is adapted to aid in the relief of traffic problems and congestion on city streets by providing parking space for a considerable number of cars on a relatively small piece of land.

. These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this car parking tower, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the car parking tower comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the car parking tower illustrating in particular the relative arrangement of the sprocket wheels and chains, looking at the car tower in a direction normal to the plane of view as seen in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of one of the car carrying cages;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of a car carrying cage;

Figure 5 is a partial elevational view on an enlarged scale of the structure of the ends of the suspension member of a car carrying cage for attachment to the endless chains;

Figure 6 is a partial elevational view of one of the upper pairs of sprocket wheels shown with the sector gears appended thereto;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view as taken along the plane of line 77 in Figure 6 illustrating in particular the arrangement and construction of one of the upper pairs of sprocket wheels;

Figure 8 is a sectional detail view of a portion of one of the lower sprocket wheels;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the car parking tower shown as provided with an A-frame; and

Figure 10 is a partial elevational view of the modified form of car parking tower looking in a direction normal to the plane of View as seen in Figure 9.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, and with particular attention initially directed to Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that the car parking tower is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 and includes a plurality of vertically extending channel-shaped members 12 which form the vertical frame of the car parking tower 10, which channel shaped members are secured to a suitable base, as at 14, which may be in the form of a concrete slab or the like forming the foundation of a building.

The vertical frame members 12 have a plurality of horizontal frame members 16 attached thereto and extending therebetween to hold the vertical frame members 12 in spaced relationship, with the horizontal frame members 16 preferably being also of channel shape. Angularly extending braces 13 interconnect the various portions of the vertical frame members 12 and the horizontal frame members 16 to provide a comparatively rigid structure.

Supported in pairs of bearing blocks, as at 20, 22, 24 and 26, are the shafts 28 and 30 of an upper pair of sprocket wheels 32 and 34. A lower pair of sprocket wheels 36 and 38 are also mounted in suitable bearing blocks, as at 40, see Figure 1.

A pair of endless chains 42 and 44 are entrained about the sprocket wheels 32, 36 and 34, 33, respectively. The teeth of the sprocket wheels are adapted to extend through the links of the chains.

The specific construction of the sprocket wheels can best be seen upon an inspection of Figures 6 through 8. As can be readily seen, each of the upper sprocket wheels 32 and 34 are formed of a lead disc, as at 50, having webs 52 as well as a central hub portion 54 through which the shafts, as at 28 and 30, extend. The discs 50 may be in the form of a shell having inner and outer portions.

portions 74 and 76 between which the various sections 7.8

which are toothed, as at 80, extend and which are held in place by rivets 82. It is noted that one of the features of the invention resides in the provision of the detachable securement of the gear members 64 as well as the two sections 60 by the rivets 62 and the utilization of the rivets 82 to hold toothed sections 78 in place whereby, by removal of the rivets, the various gear members can be replaced in a convenient manner.

Mounted on the frame of the car parking tower are motors, as at 88 and 90, which drive gears 92 and 94, the gears 92 and 94 engaging the ring gears 96 and 98 formed by the gear members 64. It is noted that the gear members 64 are of lesser diameter than the sprocket wheels and the sprocket sections as bounded by the periphery of the sprocket sections 60.

The utilization of the motors 88 and 90 at the upper portion of the frame results in an unusually advantageous elimination of shocks which would otherwise occur in the chains and in the gears should the gears and chains be driven from the lower portions of the car parking tower. This unusual effect is believed to result from the inertia effects on any slack which may exist in the chains. In the driving of the chains, should there be any slack in the chains, it will not be at the upper pair of the sprockets due to the effects of gravity, but will be at the lower sprockets. Therefore, by driving the lower sprockets, incomplete engagement of the sprockets with the chains could result, causing overriding of the chains by the sprocket gears. This is especially noticeable during starting and stopping of the sprocket wheels. However, when the sprocket wheels are driven from the top, there is, because of the action of gravity, secure and positiveengagement of the sections of the sprocket wheel with the chain.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 3 through 5, it will be seen that there is suspended on the chains 42 and 44 a plurality of car carrying cages 100, each of which is generally similar in construction, and include a pair of end frame members 1.02 and 104. The end frame members are generally of channel construction and include reinforcing plates, as at 168, which interconnect the channel elements 110 to form a suitable hollow frame through which the vehicle is capable of passing. Attached to the upper transverse channel-shaped frame members 112 is a pair of channel-shaped beams 114 and 116 which have plates 118 welded or otherwise secured thereto to transfer stress between the channelshaped. beams 114 and 116 and rigidify the construction. Carried at the ends of the beams 114 and 116 and therebetween are stub shafts 120 and 122. The car carrying cages 100 are attached to and suspended from the chains 42 and 44 by means of suitable mounting members, as at 124, see Figure 5, to which the links of the chains 42 and 44 may be welded or otherwise secured. The mounting members 124 have plates 126 welded or otherwise'attached thereto, which plates are bolted as at, 128 to plates 130 carried by a shaft 132 rotatably mounted in the stub shafts 12 and 122. Suitable grease fittings 134 are provided for lubricating the bearing surfaces between the hollow stub shafts and 122 and the rotating mountings 132. Any suitable means, not shown, may be provided to prevent or restrain lateral motion between the stub shafts 120 and 122 and the rotating shaft 132.

Carried by the end frame members 102 and 104 is a lower frame member together with other frame members 142 and 144 and platforms 146 and 148 cooperate to form channel-shaped guides for the wheels of a vehicle so that the vehicle may be suitably carried by the cage 100. Any suitable reinforcement as desired may be provided.

in the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 10, a substantially A-shaped frame member 200 is provided which includes channel-shaped, upwardly converging frame members 202 and 204 interconnected by horizontally extending frame members 2% as well as by diagonally extending frame members 208 of suitable construction so as to rigidify the frame 200. By the utilization of the A- frame 260, a substantial saving in weight is achieved. Suitable pairs of lower sprockets 210 as well as pairs of upper sprockets 212 are provided and pairs of chains 214 carrying cages 216 are entrained about the sprocket wheels. The upper pairs of sprocket wheels 212 are driven by means of a motor 220 carried by a platform 222 at the upper portion of the frame 200 utilizing a gear train transmission 214 including a shaft which drives the drive gears 216 engageable with the sector gears forming the ring gears 218 or" the upper sprocket wheels.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and dcscribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a car parking tower having pairs of upper and lower sprocket wheels and a pair of drive chains trained about said wheels, a car carrying cage suspended between said chains, said cage including a pair of vertically disposed, spaced end frames, each of open form such that a vehicle may be driven therethrough, a horizontal lower frame assembly extending between and interconnecting said end frames, said lower frame including a central portion substantially midway between the opposite sides of said end frames mounted at its opposite sides by depressed platforms for receiving the wheels of a vehicle thereon, a pair of spaced, parallel beams rigidly connecting the upper ends of said end frames and having opposite end portions extending therebeyond, a tubular stub shaft fixed between each such end portion of the beams and projecting therebeyond, a support shaft journaled in each stub shaft and having an end portion projecting therebeyond, and a mounting member removably attached to said end portion of each support shaft attached to said drive chains for suspending the cage therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Apr. 23, 1929 

